SRIHARIKOTA: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully carried out a satellite docking maneuver under its Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX), marking a significant milestone. The achievement, announced on the social media platform X, makes India the fourth country globally to accomplish this feat.

ISRO shared details of the operation in a post:

"Manoeuvre from 15 meters to the 3-meter hold point completed. Docking initiated with precision, resulting in successful spacecraft capture. Retraction and rigidisation for stability completed seamlessly. Docking successfully achieved."

SpaDeX Docking Update:

????Docking Success

Spacecraft docking successfully completed! A historic moment.

Let’s walk through the SpaDeX docking process:

Manoeuvre from 15m to 3m hold point completed. Docking initiated with precision, leading to successful spacecraft capture.…

— ISRO (@isro) January 16, 2025

This success follows an earlier trial conducted on January 12, where ISRO brought two satellites within three meters of each other before moving them back to a secure distance to prepare for the docking attempt.

Ahead of this achievement, ISRO had announced on Sunday that its satellites, part of the SpaDeX mission, were brought within close proximity as part of a preliminary trial. The satellites were maneuvered to nearly 15 meters and after to three meters before being moved back to a safe distance. The docking will proceed following further analysis of the collected data," ISRO mentioned in another post on X.

The SpaDeX mission had faced setbacks earlier, with two scheduled docking attempts on January 7 and January 9 being postponed.

Launched on December 30, 2024, the mission involved the PSLV C60 rocket, which carried two small satellites namely, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target--alongside 24 other payloads. Approximately 15 minutes after liftoff from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, the satellites, weighing around 220 kilograms each, were successfully placed into a 475-kilometer circular orbit.

The SpaDeX project is designed to serve as a cost-effective technology demonstrator, showcasing in-space docking capabilities using compact satellites, according to ISRO.

The main goal of SpaDeX is to show that docking technology in space can be done affordably. This skill is vital for India's upcoming space projects, such as bringing back samples, exploring the moon, and building the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS).